Louisville City Update: LCFC Clinches No. 2 Seed in USL Eastern Conference Playoffs

Louisville City would liked to have sewn up the No. 2 seed in the USL Eastern Conference playoffs on their own accord, but they’ll take it nonetheless. With a little help from FC Montreal — which had a 2-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls reserve team on Wednesday — Louisville has locked up a first round bye and home field advantage in the second round of the USL playoffs.

Louisville City will play host to the winner of a first round match-up between the third and sixth seeded teams in the Eastern Conference, with the winner advancing to the conference final. Were the playoffs to start today, the 3-6 match-up would see the Charleston Battery host the Richmond Kickers. In two games against both squads, Louisville has a combined record of 2-1-1, outscoring them by a combined 7-4.

Depending on how the final round of games goes, Louisville also has a chance to lock up the second overall seed in the USL, allowing the first year club to host the USL final should the team advance that far. City currently sits two points ahead of the Orange County Blues and the Colorado Springs Switchbacks, all with one final game to play.

A win in Saturday’s deciding King’s Cup match with Saint Louis would be enough to seal the deal, but a draw could do the trick, depending on the results of the Blues’ and Switchbacks’ matches. Orange County plays LA Galaxy II at home while Colorado Springs hosts Sacramento Republic in their finale.

Charleston Battery 2 – Louisville City 0

All was not well this week for Louisville City, as the club dropped a 2-0 result on the road to potential playoff opponents, the Charleston Battery.

In a match that saw Louisville Head Coach James O'Connor grant backup goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh a first league start, Louisville was out-shot 12-5 by a team it beat by two goals just three weeks prior. Louisville gave up two second-half goals on set pieces, which is a continuation of a disturbing trend from a Louisville City perspective. The last four goals Louisville has conceded have come from set pieces, which have been an Achilles heel of the club all season.

Louisville will try to right the ship after two straight road losses on Saturday against rivals Saint Louis in the inaugural King’s Cup finale. The 8:30 p.m. kickoff will take place in Missouri and will be the final regular season game for both teams. Louisville can lock up the first King’s Cup with a win or draw, and can only lose it with a loss by more than two goals. Regular starter, and former Orlando City player, Aodhan Quinn, will miss the game due to yellow card accumulation.